The Lone Hawke
by Trixxeh
Summary: The Capital Wasteland proved to be cruel and inhospitable. No one knew that better than the Lone Wanderer, Hawke. This land had taken away the only thing she ever cared about; her father. Yet the world did not end with his life. Now, the young girl is left to try and find new happiness in this poisonous world. Starts with her life in the infamous Vault 101. ButchxF!LoneWanderer.
1. The Comic

The Lone Hawke

Chapter 001.00

The Comic

"Dad? Have you seen my comic book collection?" A feminine voice called from her bedroom. The girl, seventeen, was called Elizabeth. Her hands were currently shifting through box after box, searching for one comic book. A tall, handsome man walked into the bedroom and leaned against the metal door frame.

"Comic book collection? You haven't looked at that since you were thirteen." The man said, a familiar chuckle in his voice. The girl looked up with a slight scowl. Her dark blonde hair fell messily over her shoulders, her green eyes hiding her anger. The man frowned at her appearance. "What's the matter?"

"It was stolen. I know it." Liz grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest in a huff.

Her father just stared at her. "Like I said, you don't even like that collection anymore. Why are you so worked up?"

"Because, Dad! It's the principle of the matter." She stood to her full height which wasn't very impressive and began to pace. "I mean, there are very few things in the vault that I can call _mine._ That comic book was one of them, plus it was a gift from Amata."

Her father's gaze turned sympathetic, he walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Well, what do you want to do? We could tell Officer Gomez?"

"No, no." Elizabeth chewed at her finger nails. "No, I think I can handle this on my own."

He nodded. "I believe you. Let me know if you need help."

It had to have been Butch. Or one of his little Tunnel Snake cronies on his orders because God forbid they ever do anything without Butch's approval. No one else in the Vault would bother to steal something as trivial as a comic book. Confronting him wouldn't be an easy thing, it would take a gentle tongue to avoid any violence.

001.01

Deciding not to waste any time, Liz started a sweep of the vault to find Butch. Her best guess was his apartment. He spent most of his time there in his little 'barber shop'. It was mostly just an armchair that Jonas helped rig to resemble the functions of an actual barber chair. Not that Elizabeth would _ever_go there for a haircut. Butch would probably take the opportunity to shave her bald or, depending on if they fought that week or not, stab her in the neck with his scissors.

Liz didn't even make it to the apartment before spotting him. She was just walking past the diner when that familiar greasy haired fool swaggered out with Wally Mack beside him. They were laughing about something but everyone froze when eye contact was made. There was silence for a moment before Butch snickered and leaned up against a nearby wall.

"Ya got something to say, Hawke? Or are ya just gonna stare at me all creepy like?" Butch enquired with a raised eyebrow. Liz narrowed her eyes at his use of that nickname. When she was young Butch and the other Tunnel Snakes would make fun of her nose. It was for good reason, before she grew into its size it really did look like a beak. Thankfully, by fourteen or so, it was finally proportionate with the rest of her face. The nickname stuck, however, a humiliating reminder of her childhood awkwardness.

"Either of you seen my comic book collection?" Elizabeth asked, attempting to keep the accusatory tone out of her voice.

Butch exchanged a mocked innocent glance with Wally who was wearing a devious little grin over his crooked teeth. "Hmm, nope. Can't say I've seen _your_ comic book collection."

"What the hell is that suppose to mean?" She snapped, failing to contain her irritation. There was just something about this boy that rubbed her the wrong way.

"It means that I haven't seen your damn comic books. The only comic books I've seen are the ones that I got." Butch elaborated with a smug air. Wally continued to grin down at his shoes, avoiding Liz's eyes.

"You don't own any comic books." Elizabeth stated slowly and crossed her arms tightly over her chest.

Butch tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Really? I wonder how I could possibly have some then..."

"We got a real mystery here, Butch." Wally added, finally glancing up at Liz. Her gaze was so icy however, that he quickly turned his eyes back to his leader.

"Better hire the fucking Hardy Boys to solve it." Butch chuckled at his own stupid joke and then waved his hand dismissively at Liz. "Scram, Nosebleed. We got nothin' else to talk about."

Nosebleed. Yet another nickname from their childhood. Not only was her nose oddly large at that age, it also happened to be weirdly sensitive to the smallest contact. Amata accidentally hit her while opening a cupboard door in the diner during lunch causing it to spurt blood. All the kids were there and everyone laughed, except Amata who was apologizing profusely. Liz almost fainted before Amata managed to drag her to her father's clinic.

Liz took a threatening step forward. All hope of solving this diplomatically was tossed out the window as Liz subjected herself to those embarrassing memories. "Return my comic books. Or else."

Butch didn't even flinch and why would he? In every physical fight they ever had, Butch always won. He was taller, stronger, and Liz was very aware of the knife hidden in his jumpsuit. Not that he ever pulled it on her, but there was always the possibility for it.

"Make. Me." Butch pronounced the words slowly and coldly.

Without any hesitation, Liz jumped forward and grabbed him by the collar of his jumpsuit. To her rage, Butch was smiling condescendingly. His poisonous blue eyes stabbed into her turtle green ones, like a striking snake. He grabbed her wrists and dug his fingers into her skin, surely leaving bruises. With ease he pried her hands off him and threw her back.

As she stumbled backwards, Butch and Wally laughed. "Just stop, Hawke. Don't make me give ya a booboo that Daddy can't just slap a band-aid on."

Liz hurried to her feet and attempted another lunge at Butch but Wally caught her by the waist. He threw her petite body with surprising strength and she sprawled onto the floor. She looked up at them with burning cheeks. Embarrassed by her lack of power. The boys gave her one last look before turning and walking away. She let them go. If she kept pushing the matter, blood would spill and most of it would belong to her.

001.02

"I'm sorry, I wish I had been there..." Amata said sincerely as Elizabeth retold the story later that evening. The girls were sitting on one of the examination cots in the clinic, a tub of ice cream sitting between them. One of the perks of being the Overseer's daughter was the access to food not normally distributed.

"It's fine, I doubt your presence would have changed anything." Liz responded, though with a tiny note of bitterness. She scooped a spoonful of ice cream and relished in the chocolatey taste. It was so much sweeter than the usual available food. "Besides, it's not over."

"What do you mean?" Amata asked with a concerned tone. She placed the lid back on the ice cream container for rationing purposes to Liz's disappointed.

"I'm stealing my comic books back."

"Hawke, I really think you should just let Officer Gomez deal with it." Amata said with a hint of exasperation lacing her worry.

Liz gave her a sharp look at the use of that name. "Really, Amata? You're calling me that too?"

"I'm sorry!" Amata shrugged, "Everyone else calls you Hawke."

"Everyone else is making fun of me!" Liz snapped, a little hurt to hear her best friend sound so insensitive to her feelings.

"No, no!" Amata quickly amended. "That's not the reason I call you Hawke! Do you remember when you got that nickname?"

"I don't know..." Elizabeth sifted through her hazy memories. "I was like nine or ten."

"You were ten. It was the day after your birthday." Amata said with a small smile. "I remember because Butch, Wally, and Paul were confronting Jonas about the present you got. Your BB Gun, remember? I happened to pass by when they were complaining and I stopped to listen. Jonas was telling them to be careful around you from now on because you were a hell of a shot with eyes like a hawk... Then Butch ruined it by saying 'Yah, and a nose like one too.'"

"You see! It started because of my freakish nose." Liz whined, crossing her arms over her chest in a huff.

Amata rolled her eyes. "Don't be so negative. The point of the story is that some of us call you Hawke for other reasons. Besides you're really pretty _now. _So you don't have to get so stressed about it anymore."

"Easy for you to say." Elizabeth muttered, avoiding eye contact. Amata had always been a cutie, she never had to worry too much.

Amata seemed to sense the change in mood as she quickly diverted the topic. "Now what were you saying about stealing back your comic books?"

"Oh, right, right!" Liz's mood effectively shifted to mischievous. She hopped to her feet and headed for her father's nearby desk. On the surface was a pink envelope that Liz grabbed and handed to Amata.

Amata stared at the envelope and read the name silently. "This looks like a love letter... To Butch. Have you gone mad? Are you thinking of seducing him? 'Cause that won't work."

"No!" Liz quickly corrected but then frowned. "What you mean it wouldn't work? Never mind... I don't want to know. It's a fake love letter from Susie to Butch. It's just a ploy to lure him out of the apartment tomorrow night so I can go in and steal my property back."

"That's actually pretty smart. Butch has been aching to get into Susie's jumpsuit." Amata said with an uncharacteristically vexatious smile. "Wait, what about his mom?"

Elizabeth winked and reached under the cot. She pulled up a half empty bottle of vodka and gave it playful shake. "I doubt the resident alcoholic can resist this. I'll leave it with the letter outside their door. She's so selfish that she'll keep the vodka for herself and give Butch the note."

"Who knew you were so manipulative?" Amata commented, her smile suddenly seemed a little forced but Liz just ignored it. It always seemed like Amata was testing Liz in some way, but Elizabeth was very tolerant of this because well... There weren't many choices for companionship in the vault. Susie and Christine have always hated Liz for unknown reasons and besides Freddie Gomez, all the boys were Tunnel Snakes. Besides Amata had access to ice cream.

001.03

The next night, Liz pulled off her plan without a hitch. She left the vodka and letter outside the Deloria apartment and sure enough, at midnight, Butch left for his 'date' with Susie Mack. Liz was sure to bring a few bobby pins in case she'd have to pick the lock but it wasn't necessary. In Butch's haste to get his knob polished, he left the door unlocked. Ellen Deloria was, predictably, passed out on the couch, the Vodka bottle empty and discarded on the floor. It took a bit of time to locate the comic books, but eventually she found them in a box under Butch's computer desk. She was tempted to continue snooping for her own selfish curiosity. It's not often that she has the chance to gain blackmail on Butch. However, she just couldn't bring herself to invade his privacy like that... Though, he probably wasn't so kind when stealing from her.

Elizabeth thought for sure the drama was over and was glad to have her property back. It wasn't until she was walking to work later that week that she realized that she still had Butch to answer to. She turned the corner, and was pushed back by an unknown force. It knocked her into the wall and her head cracked back painfully causing tears to prickle at the corner of her eyes.

"You broke into my house, bitch." Butch's voice alerted her to her attacker. His blue eyes were cold and piercing as he glared at her. She noticed with a sigh of relief that he was alone, his cronies no where in site.

"You broke into mine first." Liz growled back, her hand reaching up to rub her bruised skull. "I was just recovering what you took. Besides it's not breaking in when you leave the damn door unlocked."

Butch grabbed the front of her jumpsuit and pulled her close. She could smell his aftershave from this distance. "Ya better watch yourself, Hawke. I'm not someone you should mess with."

Despite the small shiver of fear she felt, she refused to show him any kind of passiveness. Her hands gripped his wrist which was considerably larger than her own. "Do you think I'm afraid of you, Butch? I can take a punch, as you're well aware."

Something weird flickered across Butch's face but he quickly hid it and pushed her roughly against the wall again. The contact aggravated the wound on Liz's head. "What are ya talkin' about? I might push ya around, but I haven't punched ya since we were ten years old. Don't act so tough, idiot."

Elizabeth opened her mouth to argue but stopped suddenly. She quickly scanned her memories but couldn't think of a time that Butch had actual hit her. He definitely threatened her a lot, and he pushed her and gripped her violently a lot but had he actually physically hit her since they were kids? She remembered Wally punching her lots, and even Paul occasionally but never Butch. "Whatever, what does it matter? Your goons have hit me plenty of times."

Butch suddenly let go of her, as if disgusted by their contact. "It matters because those guys ain't got nothin' on me."

Suddenly he revealed his famous Toothpick pocketknife and Liz automatically flattened herself against the wall. He didn't click it open but he held it in front of him threatening. When he spoke, his tone was less hostile than before but still laced with anger. "If ya ever go back into my room for any reasons other than sex, I'll cut ya."

Liz crinkled her nose in disgust but couldn't help feel slightly warm from the suggestion. "Don't worry, I will never step foot in your apartment again. It reeks of alcohol and your tacky aftershave."

Butch flipped her off and turned his back to her. "Whatever, Hawke. Just stay the hell away from me."

* * *

_Author's Note :: Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed the start to this story! Not a lot of action yet, or even much romance, but trust me there will be lots! There will be two more Vault 101 chapters before we head off into the Capital Wasteland! And if you're wondering, there will be a sequel to this story about the Mojave Wasteland if enough people enjoyed this one! So please let me know by review if you liked it 3_


	2. The Contusion

The Lone Hawke

The Contusion

There was no glory in being a Fry Cook for Vault 101. Having to serve food to people she could barely tolerate on a good day was humiliating. Plus she was always burning herself when the grease splattered back on her hands. This what you get for not taking the GOAT seriously, Liz concluded as she piled fries high on a plate and slid it across the counter towards her costumer, Freddie Gomez.

"Thanks, Hawke." Freddie gave her a nervous smile which Liz returned. This boy was one of the few good people in the Vault. He may have been slightly awkward and too much of a follower but he was still a sweetie deep down. "It's nice that I can come here on break."

"How's ol' Stanley treating you these days?" Liz asked while wiping down the counter. Freddie was given the job of Pip-Boy Programmer during the GOAT down in the Maintenance Department. It was a pretty nice job, there was always something to do, something to tinker with.

"Not too bad. I'm finally getting a hang of this stuff so he's not yelling as much." Freddie responded. He was fidgeting with his fries as if struggling with something. He opened his mouth suddenly but quickly snapped it shut when two girls walked into the diner. The familiar whoosh of the doors announced their entrance. The familiar faces of Susie and Christine approached the counter, Susie looked like a barbie doll with her blonde hair and pink lipstick and Christine was equally pretty with her petite frame and dark curls.

"Hey guys." Liz greeted in a monotone. She had never been too fond of these girls as they always looked at her as a lowly creature. Probably because both their fathers disliked Liz's father, James because of some unknown incident when they were all babies. "What can I get you?"

"Please tell me there's enough powdered milk left for a shake or two?" Susie ordered with crossed arms. Her tone was one of forced politeness. These two girls knew better than to be rude when Liz was handling their food every since she threatened to spit in the burgers. "Oh, hey Freaky."

Freddie spluttered a greeting despite the use of his cruel nickname. "H-hey, Susie."

Liz watched the interaction coldly before turning her gaze back to Susie and Christine. "No, sorry, but the new rations arrive Monday."

That was technically a lie. There was just enough left to make a single shake but Liz had dibs on it and wasn't about to give it up to someone like Susie Mack.

"Dammit, can't you be a little more stingy? Maybe then it'd last until rationing day!" Susie complained loudly. Her brown eyes narrowed with irritation and she was chewing on her lip.

Liz just shrugged, not feeling the slightest bit guilty. Before she could offer the girl something else the door slid open again and three men sauntered in. The sight of them sent pangs of anger shooting up from her heart. She threw the rag she had been using on to the counter with unnecessary force.

The man in the middle smirked widely at Liz's disgruntled appearance. Obviously pleased by her reaction. Susie had glanced back as well and her eyes lit up slightly at the sight of Butch. She quickly smoothed her blonde ponytail and greeted them with a simpering little wave, "Hey, boys."

"What are you doing here, Susie?" Her older brother, Wally grunted in response.

Susie's eyes turned cold and she nodded back in Liz's direction. "Christine and I came here hoping for a milkshake but Hawke's so incompetent that she didn't ration out the powdered milk properly."

Fed up, Liz opened her mouth to retort but Butch beat her to it.

"Are you PMS-ing or something, Susie? Ya need a milkshake fix that badly?" Butch teased lightly. He took a few steps forward and placed his hand on her stomach, Susie flinched involuntarily from the contact. "Or maybe you're just craving? Ya got a little sweet roll in the oven?"

"Shut the fuck up, Butch." Wally growled threateningly, an angry look on his face. He walked forward as well and pushed Butch's hands away from Susie. They shared a tense look and the whole diner held their breathe.

"Just messin' around, man. Relax." Butch laughed it off, effectively defusing the situation. He quickly diverted the pressure onto Liz by leaning on the counter and casually greeting her. "Hey, Hawke, how's it hanging?"

"What the hell do you want?" Elizabeth responded bluntly, leaning back from him as if his presence was nauseating. It had been three weeks since the comic book incident and Elizabeth enjoyed those three Butch free weeks. He was obviously done with the silent treatment now.

"Fuck. What is with all the hostility in this place?" Butch complained, glancing around with an innocent expression. "I just came here for a grilled cheese sandwich."

Liz raised an impressed eyebrow. "How brave of you to trust me with your food."

"Shut your little perfumed mouth, why do ya think I came all the way down here instead of just sending in an order form? This way I can watch ya." Butch tapped the counter a few times with his palm. "Now be a good girl and make me my sandwich."

"No. Get out of here. I'd rather die than serve you." Liz stated darkly. She could tell by the look on his face that he was annoyed. Her hand inched towards a nearby spatula, just in case.

He slammed his fist down on the counter causing the entire diner to jump from the noise. "That can be arranged, Nosebleed."

"Get her, Butch!" Paul cheered on from his spot by the door and Wally gave a delighted little laugh.

Freddie on the other hand rose to his feet and raised his hands non-threateningly. The conflict was obviously making him uneasy. "Come on, Butch."

"Get over it, Freaky." Butch ordered Freddie with disgusted tones. "If ya wanna be a Tunnel Snake, ya can't be such a pansy."

"No way..." Liz groaned and looked over at Freddie with disappointed eyes. "You're becoming a Tunnel Snake?"

"I just... thought it'd be something... to try." Freddie responded slowly, his eyes cast downwards at his plate of fries. Of all the people to be subject to the Tunnel Snake corruption it had to be Freddie. There went any hope of finding someone to marry in this damn Vault.

Butch obviously sensed Liz's dismay and wanted to aggravate it. He walked over to Freddie and draped a leathery arm over his shoulders. "Come on, Freddie, we'll walk ya back to the Maintenance Department. We got some _things_ to discuss."

"Butch." Paul whined, "What about our food?"

"Whatever, I'm over it. The food here is as greasy as Hawke is." Butch insulted, sending a wink in Susie's direction. She gave a sickening little giggle that made Liz's hand clench the spatula that much tighter. She resisted the urge to chuck the utensil at Butch's retreating back with a large amount of effort. The doors closed behind the Tunnel Snakes and Liz relished in her hatred for Butch and his stupid little gang.

OO2.O1

"I hate being a Fry Cook. _Hate _it." Liz complained to her father when her shift ended. He was typing away at his terminal, a textbook was balanced against a lamp to his left. Though he was listening, he seemed a bit more distracted than usual. This was evident as he clicked the buttons on his keyboard for a few moments longer before speaking.

"I know you do, honey." Her father finally responded. He gazed at her kindly over the top of the computer screen. "You won't be a Fry Cook your whole life."

"Yes I will." Liz said with a scoff, she was seated on a low bookshelf and her feet propped up on a nearby chair. "The GOAT's results are final."

"That's just something they say to make you take the GOAT more seriously." Her Dad said with careful tones. "Though it is true that most people stay in the career path chosen for them."

"Exactly. It's not like I have any talent in any other field."

"That's not true. You are very skilled with medicine and when I..." Her father paused, contemplated his phrasing. "When I _move _on. I'd like for you to take my place as Vault Physician. If you want to, of course."

"Dad." Liz said sternly. "You know I hate when you talk about dying."

He chuckled lightly. "Honey, death is a part of life. It happens to everyone."

"I know that..." Liz muttered and slid off the bookshelf, opting for a chair closer to her dad. "If you die though, I have no one here."

Her father shut the textbook he was reading and focused his attention completely on Elizabeth. "That is not true. You'll always have Jonas to look out for you and the Gomez family cares an awful lot about you."

Hearing the name Gomez just reminded Liz of the Tunnel Snake's drama from earlier that day but she didn't let it show. It would be pointless to tell her father about her feud with that ass, Butch DeLoria. Her father leaned over and kissed Liz on the forehead.

"You let yourself worry too much." They shared a smile before her dad clapped his hands together loudly. "Now, how do you feel about doing your dad a favour?"

"What kind of favour?" Liz asked with suspicion.

Her dad shuffled together a few pieces of paper and handed them to her. "Could I trust you to take these notes and write a journal entry on the patient for me?"

"Uh, sure." Liz looked at the papers and noticed the name scrawled on the top margin. "Is Stanley alright?"

"It's nothing too serious. He's just been having some respiratory problems. I'm thinking about issuing him an inhaler." Her father explained, pointing out a note where he wrote exactly what he just stated.

"I'll do it, but why can't you?"

Her father suddenly broke eye contact. "It's nothing major, I was just going to have a drink with Jonas. He and I have some stuff to discuss."

"What kind of stuff?" Liz raised an eyebrow at her father's sly attitude.

He grinned at his daughter's perceptiveness but didn't give anything away. "Boring adult nonsense, you wouldn't be interested."

"Uh huh." Elizabeth decided to just let it slide, she had no reason to distrust her father. If it was important, he would tell her. She shooed him out of the computer chair and took his spot in front of the monitor. "Go have fun, I'll finish this up."

OO2.O2

Her father wasn't gone thirty minutes before the clinic doors reopened. Liz didn't bother to look up from the computer. "Back already? That was a quick drink."

It wasn't until she heard a grunt and the sound of a cot's squeaky wheels that she tore her eyes away from the journal. The man who had entered the clinic was certainly not her father, it was that familiar, arrogant Tunnel Snake. However, Butch didn't look nearly as cocky in this moment. His hand was clutching his abdomen and his other arm was leaning against an empty cot for support. Liz jumped to her feet, the sight of her injured rival stirred a strange emotion in her. Panic.

"There ya go again, Hawke, staring at me all creepy like." Butch grumbled, obviously vexed at being in such a vulnerable position. "Is this a fucking hospital or not?"

Liz rushed forwards but stopped just short of him. Her widened eyes took in his appearance. He was obviously bleeding from some wound on his stomach, the blood leaked through his fingers and dripped onto the tiled floor. His skin was shiny with sweat, either from the exertion from whatever wounded him or the obvious pain he was in.

"Dad's not here." Elizabeth's voice sounded hollow and she continued to gaze at him with fearful eyes.

"I know, that's the only reason I came." Butch answered, his voice strained. He managed to pull himself onto a cot. Liz reached forward to steady him but couldn't bring herself to actually make contact. With a grunt, he sat up as straight as he could. "Your daddy has to report every little cut from a fight to security, Overseer's rules. I don't want that."

"This isn't exactly a little cut, Butch. I think you need stitches!" Liz exclaimed still observing from a distance as Butch shook out of his jacket. "What happened?"

"Apparently, Wally ain't too happy about me and his sister." Butch answered with a hint of a smirk that was quickly replaced with a grimace. "Ugh, maybe I shouldn't have said nothin' but he's been my best friend since we were kids. He had a right to know that I'm screwin' Susie."

"You're an idiot." Elizabeth chastised softly.

Butch looked up sharply. "Can ya forget the lecture and patch me up?"

Liz pursed her lips together unhappily wanting to wait for her father to return but she couldn't just leave him sitting there, bleeding through his clothes. "Fine, unzip your jumpsuit."

"Not even a drink first." Butch mumbled and Liz groaned inwardly with irritation. He fiddled with the zipper and revealed his chest, his stomach, and the the elastic waistband of his underwear.

"I can't believe he actually cut you..." Liz muttered as she inspected the wound on his upper abdomen. Luckily it was a shallow laceration. She reached over to a nearby tray and pulled it in close. With experienced hands she began cleaning the wound. "I'm gonna give you a few stitches but you should come back tomorrow and have my dad look at my handiwork. Make sure that I did it properly."

"No, no, just make sure ya do it right. I ain't coming back here and risking Wally gettin' into any trouble." Butch dismissed her suggestion. He winced as Liz continued to disinfect the area of the wound. "You've done this before, right? Ya ain't gonna sew me up all screwy, are ya?"

"I've done plenty of stitches before..." Elizabeth answered and then added with a devilish little smirk. "Only when practising on fruit though."

"You're a real fucking riot, Hawke." Butch scolded and Liz couldn't help but chuckle with satisfaction. It was nice to see him completely at her mercy for once. Usually it was the other way around. She just couldn't help but enjoy this moment now that she could tell that Butch wasn't in any real danger.

"You're gonna feel a little pinch here." Liz explained while she injected him with a mild anaesthetic. She was surprised to hear the gentle tone her voice took but she reasoned it was because in this moment they weren't enemies. No, in this instance Butch was her patient and it was Liz's job to comfort him.

There was a slight silence as she began to sew his wound together. She had never done this on a real person before but she found it quite easy to compartmentalize. It didn't feel like she was stitching real skin, it seemed more like fabric.

"Why are you a Fry Cook when you're obviously meant to be doing this? You suck at cooking." Butch commented while he watched her work. "Besides, everyone just assumed you'd be a Medical Intern with your daddy."

"Yah, well, everyone assumed you'd be a Garbage Burner." Liz insulted, feeling slightly sensitive about her career path after her conversation with her father. "I guess we both let everyone down."

"Why ya gotta do that, huh? I was giving you a damn compliment." He complained loudly. His statement shocked Liz so much that she paused her work to retort.

"Insulting my cooking is a compliment?" Liz said flabbergasted before giving a small derisive laugh. "You really suck with woman. How did you ever get Christine and Susie to sleep with you?"

"I guess I'm just that handsome." Butch said while raising his eyebrows conceitedly at Elizabeth.

She didn't even bother to humour him, choosing to just shake her head and return to her stitch work. Though, even she had to admit that she could see the appeal of Butch. He had almost regal bone structure and dark fathomless blue eyes. Plus, Liz noted as her fingers brushed against his bare torso, he seemed to be very well built. His skin was pulled tightly over the muscles on his abdomen, chest, and arms. If only he wasn't such an asshole.

"All done." Liz said after a few moments more. She placed a piece of gauze securely over the wound. "I'm pretty sure you're gonna be left with a scar. You seem like the kind of guy to want that so, enjoy."

"Fuck yes!" Butch cheered while inspecting the bandage. He looked into Liz's eyes and gave her a rare smile. "Not bad, Nosebleed."

"Now, care to tell me exactly what happened?" Liz asked, leaning back slightly and crossing her arms. She was done with being so close to him and was a little annoyed that he didn't zip his jumpsuit back up.

Butch seemed perfectly comfortable being half naked as he leaned back on the cot. "I told ya, didn't I? Wally got all pissy when I told him about me and Susie. We ended up scraping and the fucker got a hold of my knife."

"He slashed you and you don't want to report him? Why?" Liz asked incredulously.

"Damn, Hawke. I can't snitch on my best friend." Butch said while shrugging. "Tunnel Snakes gotta stick together. Would ya go talking trash about Amata?"

"If she cut me, maybe. Not like it'd do any good with her being the Overseer's daughter and whatnot." Liz responded. She rested her elbow on the cot and looked up at him. "Who knew you could be so loyal."

"Impressed, Hawke?" Butch questioned leaning into Liz's personal bubble. "You know, Susie and I ain't exclusive or anything."

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Liz shouted and recoiled from him with disgust. "The only thing more disturbing than the thought of you with Susie is the thought of you with me."

"Whatever, Hawke." Butch laughed off her rejection easily. He pulled his jumpsuit and jacket on slowly, trying not to irritate his stitches. "I should go before ya daddy gets home. So, I can count on you to keep this between us?"

Liz squirmed uncomfortably under his gaze. "I don't know..."

"What do ya mean, ya dunno?" Butch snapped harshly. "Don't make me threaten you, Hawke. Not after ya patched me up so nicely."

"Oh, shut up." Liz argued back. His whole bad boy act was really starting to wear thin. "It's not like I owe you anything, why should I keep your damn secret? Wally deserves to be reported for hurting you."

"Listen, doll, it's cute that ya got this whole protective crush thing on me but just leave Tunnel Snake business to the Tunnel Snakes." Butch tapped her head condescendingly but Elizabeth quickly moved out of his reach. She was flattening her now ruffled hair when it occurred to her.

"I have an idea." Liz revealed with a gleeful smile. She ran a hand through her blond locks. "You are going to give me a haircut in return for keeping this quiet."

"A haircut? Really?"

"Yes, really. I just want a trim, nothing more. If you even think of shaving me bald or if I feel those scissors clip my skin even slightly, I'm running straight to Officer Gomez. You got that?" Liz pointed her finger in his face threateningly. He slapped it away lightly before outstretching his hand and she shook it.

"Ya got yourself a deal."

Butch left soon after that and Liz had some time alone with her thoughts. Tonight was a weird night, not only did she help Butch but she made a truce with him. She contemplated just breaking their deal. Wally technically broke a law by assaulting Butch. It was her duty to report him and yet when her father returned home she kept her mouth shut. Even when Officer Gomez appeared at the clinic the next morning investigating a blood puddle located in the atrium and asking if they treated anyone, something prevented Liz from speaking up.

* * *

_Author's Note :: Chapter Two is up and I'm not nearly as fond of this one... Don't expect updates to always be so quick. You're probably looking at a chapter a week, I'm just excited about this story so I've been writing lots and of course the feedback gave me some motivation! Thanks to everyone who reviewed or subscribed, means a lot. A big shout out to **cally777** who gave me some really helpful criticism. Yes, right now the writing is pretty fluffy but honestly there is no real sense of danger in the Vaults. Hopefully, I'll be able to show my dark side when the time comes! So please keep reading everyone and keep up with the reviews!_


	3. The Cut

The Lone Hawke

The Cut

"For fuck's sake, Hawke." Butch grumbled, the irritation evident in his mahogany voice. "Will you stop flinching? At this rate I'm gonna cut your ear off."

"Try it and I will end you." Liz responded with anxious tones. She heard the metallic sound of scissors and cringed away.

Butch grabbed her head roughly with both hands and straightened her back up. "I'm serious, stop moving. Why ya gotta make everything so damn difficult?"

It must have been the longest, most terrifying haircut that Liz ever received. From the moment she sat in the chair she felt uneasy. There was just something wrong with having her back turned to Butch, especially when he was holding those very sharp clippers. With every snip, she couldn't help but recoil. At first, Butch thought it was funny. He seemed satisfied that he had struck so much fear into Liz over the years, but after awhile it became a nuisance. He had to continually line her head back up.

"Are you nearly done?" Liz grumbled.

"I'd have been done long ago if ya weren't so squirmy." Butch complained as he snipped at a few more strands. He made his way around the chair and leaned forward, so close that she could feel his breath on her cheeks. "Just the fringe is left."

It was very awkward to have his face so near and Liz was beginning to think he was purposefully invading her bubble. She attempted to lower her eyes but Butch quickly caught her by the chin and repositioned her. He was focused on her bangs and didn't seem to notice her quickly reddening complexion. She tried to divert her gaze but it always seemed to drift back to Butch's lips, which he was currently biting in concentration.

The instant he moved away, Elizabeth felt all the tension in her body release and she sighed audibly. Butch retrieved a hand mirror from the couch and held it up to show her reflection. Liz admired his handiwork and was actually a little impressed. It wasn't like trimming hair was difficult but she honestly thought he was going to screw up.

"Ya don't look nearly as scraggly now." Butch commented with a mean little smirk playing on his lips. "Almost half-way decent."

That little bit of backwards flattery was enough to hurt Liz. There was only so much she could tolerate and Butch had filled his quota for the day. She pushed against the armrests of the chair and rose to her feet. "Go to hell, Butch."

Elizabeth meant to rush out of the room, but Butch grabbed her by the wrist, effectively stopping her movement. He looked at her with exasperation. "Learn to take a fucking compliment."

"Learn to give one." Liz countered and attempted to free her arm from him. Not only did he maintain his grip but he reached forward with his other hand and began ruffling her hair gently. She fidgeted from the contact but didn't pull away.

"I was just buggin' anyways. I barbered the hell out of this hair." He brought his hand down to her cheek and brushed away a few fibres of cut hair. "Looks good, pipsqueak."

A strange feeling flickered between them as they made eye contact. Maybe it was from the affectionate feeling of his hand cradling her cheek, or possibly it was just the residual warmth from earlier when Liz was forced to endure his closeness, but something was preventing her from looking away. A sudden silence passed between them as Liz observed his features. Butch seemed aware of Liz's heated gaze and his eyebrow raised slightly as if questioning her. Before she could even begin to splutter an answer to his unspoken question, Butch took a sudden step forward.

And he kissed her.

His lips crashed roughly against her own and it was all she could do not to fall over from his sudden force. One of his hand tangled into her newly styled hair and the other slithered around her waist. She was overwhelmed from the abruptness of his actions. It felt like she drowning in the feeling of his lips and the smell of his aftershave, which suddenly didn't disgust her anymore. It wasn't tacky as she once described, no, it was more peppery and crisp.

Despite the fact that Liz's senses were being numbed by the feeling of his body pressed with her's, she was never one to let her mind fog up. She couldn't surrender herself to the sensation of their kiss because she was so aware of how wrong this was. This was Butch DeLoria, whose sole purpose in life was to make Liz miserable. She was kissing a Tunnel Snake. That realization alone was jolting enough to give her the strength to push away and slap Butch with everything she had.

The strike left him staggering but he quickly recovered. His face was a mix of rage and confusion. "What the fuck, Hawke?"

"I should be asking you that!" Liz shouted at him. "Why would you even think that was okay?"

"You were sending me all sorts of signals." Butch grumbled and rubbed his tender cheek. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Always knew you were a prude and a tease."

"Oh, so because I won't give it up like Susie, that makes me a prude?" Liz scoffed but she was feeling very edgy about this conversation. Her romantic life wasn't something she liked to discuss with anyone, least of all Butch DeLoria. "You have some messed up logic."

"I'm just sayin' look at the facts, you're the only girl in this Vault who's never even been kissed." Butch pointed out. The fact was a humiliating one and hearing it spoken out loud made her cheeks burn with shame. He gave another little smirk and added, "Well, until now."

"You want me to thank you or something, because I'd sooner slit my throat." Elizabeth growled. She wanted to leave the room, escape the mortification she was feeling but she'd have to push past Butch to get there and something told her that it wouldn't be easy.

"Ya didn't need to fuckin' slap me." Butch muttered darkly, his eyes narrowed.

"Yes, I did. I have respect for myself and I don't want my reputation ruined like Christine's and Susie's." Liz argued in her defense. She knew what happened if you were too promiscuous in the Vault. Even just once and everyone would know. It wasn't something that could be just erased over time either. You were stuck with that label. "I don't want to end up like your mother."

"What did ya just say?" Butch's voice lowered in volume and somehow he seemed even scarier than before. Liz could tell she had crossed a line and almost regretted what she said. Before she could even think of apologizing however, Butch leapt forward and gripped her arms tightly. He pulled her dangerously close.

"Get your hands off me." Liz half yelped. His fingers were buried deeply into her biceps and it certainly wasn't comfortable. What was even worse than the pain was the look in Butch's eye. The anger apparent there was more intense than she had ever seen in him.

"You keep your mouth shut about things ya know nothing about. Who are you to go around talkin' shit about other people's moms? Ya killed your mother." Butch tone was laced in cruelty and his comment struck her like a knife.

For a moment all the fight drained out of her. Her father had discussed this with her many times when she was young and had always assured her that she was not to blame for her mother's death. Despite his kind words, it was impossible not to feel responsible. It was always something at the back of her mind and to hear Butch say it out loud enraged her. That was a deep personal insecurity and Butch had no right to mention it.

The sudden burst of anger she felt caused her to lash out. Liz flailed her legs around and aimed for his knees. She made contact and the two of them toppled to the ground. They rolled around for awhile but Butch managed to get on top. He pushed her roughly into the ground and pinned her arms with his hands. She glared up at him and struggled against his weight. "You're a bastard, in more ways than one."

"Hawke, I'm warning you!" Butch spat and dug his knee painfully into her side, Liz let out a groan.

"Let's brainstorm what happened the night you were conceived, shall we? Your mom probably wandered into the halls in a drunken stupor because god forbid she spends one day sober." Liz was shouting now, trying to wound him with her words because she was so incapable of hurting him physically. "She stumbled into the arms of the first guy she saw and, well, I'm sure I don't have to tell you what happened next."

Her conscience knew she should stop, that she was taking the whole thing too far but yet the words kept tumbling out her mouth. "It's odd, Butch, that your father hasn't come forward to claim you. Though I can't say I blame him. Who would want you?"

Her words hung in the air for a few moments like shards of glass.

"Fuck you, Hawke. I'm done tryin' to be civil." Butch's face was livid. He got to his feet and pulled Liz up roughly by the collar of her jumpsuit. She tried to push away but might as well have been a rag doll. With a grunt he threw her towards the door of his apartment, she slammed into it and let out a gasp of pain. "The Overseer can ask his own damn questions. No amount of perks is worth dealin' with you."

Suddenly the pain didn't matter. "What are you talking about? What questions?"

"Wouldn't you like to know. Get the hell out of my apartment, bitch." Butch pointed at the apartment door but Liz didn't move. Why would the Overseer be using Butch to get information out of her? She hadn't done anything wrong or suspicious. "I ain't messin' around, I will fuck you up."

He didn't seem like he was joking either so Liz quickly scrambled to her feet. Before leaving she glanced back at him over her shoulder and stated, "I never want to see you again, you understand? Don't come near me."

OO3.O1

It was a struggle to get the energy to go to work the next morning. Their fight continued to play in Liz's head like a looped record that whole night. She couldn't forget the frightening look on Butch's face, or the way she felt when he mentioned her mother. It was like he ripped open a wound that she had almost forgotten she had. She couldn't even look her father in the eye that evening. Every time she did, the wound would throb painfully with shame. Needless to say, Liz did not sleep much that night and almost didn't even wake for the morning.

Yet here she was, washing dishes and preparing food for the rest of the day. It was still relatively early and Liz was glad that no one really came into the diner at this time. This gave her at least a few more hours to relax.

Of course, as soon as she let that thought go through her mind the door to the diner slid open and the sound of footsteps filled the room. She didn't look up from the glass she was cleaning, hoping they would get the picture and just walk away.

They didn't. "Hawke?"

Her gaze snapped up at the voice, it was a gentle, anxious one. Her eyes met with Freddie Gomez's warm hazel ones. He seemed even more nervous than usual as he stood there, tapping his feet against the tiles.

"Oh, hey, good morning." Liz greeted, the relief was very noticeable on her face. She was not expecting to see him, she thought her costumer was going to be a more hostile one. Someone like Butch or even Susie.

"Hey." He took a seat at the counter and folded his arms in front of him. "Are you still mad at me?"

"Mad?" Liz repeated blankly. Her brain laboured to remember but it finally found the memory. "Oh, right. No, no, I shouldn't have judged you. Sorry."

"Really? You seemed pretty annoyed." Freddie sounded genuinely worried and Liz couldn't help but smile.

"I was just concerned. Those Tunnel Snakes are assholes." Liz responded, she spat out the name Tunnel Snakes as if it were poisonous. "I didn't want you to turn into that."

Freddie's face lit up. There was a prolonged silence following this. He seemed to have something on his mind and Liz waited patiently. Finally he looked her deeply in the eyes. "Are you alright, Hawke?"

She squirmed at this question because she honestly wasn't. Ever since her fight with Butch, Liz constantly felt on the verge of tears. "I'm doing alright, why?"

"No reason..." Freddie muttered and silence fell between them again. Liz went back to drying her dishes but was quickly interrupted. "Okay, don't get upset but Butch may have mentioned some things."

Her hands gripped a plate tightly, threatening to break the porcelain saucer. "What exactly did he say?"

"Nothing too major, he just seemed to be insulting you more than usual. Like a lot more. So, I was just wondering if you guys got into another fight or something?"

"You could say that..." Liz muttered and lowered her eyes to the counter. She thought for sure that Freddie was going to mention something about her kiss with Butch. Thankfully he didn't, so maybe Butch wanted to pretend it never happened just as much as Liz did. "It was a pretty bad one."

"Did he hurt you?" The tone in Freddie's voice surprised her. He almost sounded angry, or perhaps protective was a better word.

"Naw. Well, not physically at least." Liz quickly responded to ease his worries. Though she did have a few bruises painted against her arms where he had grabbed her. Their fight replayed through her mind once again. She suddenly remembered something important and leaned in close to Freddie. "Do you think you could help me with something?"

He blinked at her closeness and stuttered a response. "W-well, sure. I m-mean if I can."

"This is a pretty big favour." Liz paused, contemplating whether she could trust Freddie with this. Then she remembered that she had little choice, it was either Freddie or no one. "I'd go to Amata with this but I think asking her would be too risky. You might be my only hope."

"You're starting to worry me." Freddie muttered and glanced around the diner nervously.

Liz proceeded to tell Freddie about the information Butch let slip. About how he was apparently hired by the Overseer to get answers out of Elizabeth. It didn't make any sense, why would the Overseer bother to resort to such sneaky measures? Even more concerning was why he was curious about Liz in the first place.

"What do you think?"

Freddie took a few seconds to gather his thoughts. "I honestly don't know why he would be investigating you... But, it isn't as unusual as you think for him to use the Tunnel Snakes to get things done. I've heard of the Overseer using them to steal things that he's deemed as unsafe. I'm pretty sure the Overseer is the one who gave them those jackets."

Liz was honestly surprised to hear of the Overseer's corruption and was glad she didn't go to Amata about this. She would likely get offended at Liz's accusations. She lowered her voice unintentionally. "So, do you think it's true? Or do you think Butch is making stuff up?"

"I honestly don't know." Freddie lowered his voice to match Liz's. "Don't repeat this but I just wouldn't be surprised. It seems like the Overseer is getting more and more unstable. He's started asking my dad to do some weird assignments."

"Really? Like what?"

Freddie fidgeted with his Pip-boy as if contemplating whether or not to answer. "Like following Jonas around. Can you imagine? Jonas is the most harmless guy in this Vault."

"Jonas?" Liz repeated, thoroughly worried now. "Listen, Freddie... I have something I need to ask of you but I understand if you need to say no. Your dad must keep a log or something. Maybe on a terminal?"

"Yes." Freddie answered hesitantly. "He has a computer in our apartment, he keeps all his daily reports on there."

Liz took a deep breathe before asking, "Could you log into it and find any information about why the Overseer would be so interested in me?"

Freddie sighed and looked at her regretfully. "You know I can't do that."

"Yah, yah I know." Liz understood but couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

"It's just that he's my dad, I can't betray his trust like that." Freddie seemed truly sorry but an instant later his eyes lit back up. "But, you can."

"Excuse me?"

"Let me see your Pip-Boy!" Freddie didn't wait for her to move. He reached for her wrist and lined it up with his own. He began pushing numerous buttons on both of the machines. "Stanley has been teaching me a lot of things down in the Maintenance Department. Probably some things he shouldn't, like hacking. I got all sorts of notes about how to bypass passwords on locked terminals."

"What are you doing?" Liz questioned, watching in awe as Freddie fiddled with the Pip-Boy with expert hands. Who knew he had become so skilled?

"I'm downloading my notes onto your Pip-Boy. They'll show you step-by-step how to hack into a computer." There was a loud beep and suddenly her Pip-Boy showed a loading bar. "My dad goes on patrols every evening at seven. It won't be hard to get my mom out of the apartment, she's been dying to spend more time with me. We'll go for a walk at quarter after seven. I'll be sure to leave our door unlocked. You won't have much time so be quick."

Liz was so touched that Freddie was willing to go this far in helping her. There were really so few people she could rely on in this Vault. She leaned across the counter and swept him up in a deep hug. He didn't react at first but eventually returned it. "Thank you, seriously."

OO3.O2

Freddie kept his end of the deal, she arrived at the Gomez apartment at seven twenty and was thankful to find it empty. Her heart pounded as she navigated through the room. She wasn't nearly this nervous when breaking into Butch's place. Maybe because that was an act of reciprocation and this was a true crime. The terminal wasn't hard to find; it was tucked away in the corner of their living room. Liz quickly booted it up and referred to her Pip-Boy.

The instructions were simple and easy to follow. Just by punching in a few codes and a little bit of guess work she was successful in bypassing the password screen. There were many, many logs. Too many to read through in the little time she had so she brought up a search prompt. Liz typed in her name but nothing came up. Frowning, she tried Jonas's name and received several hits. She scanned through the logs and was shocked by what she read.

It wasn't Liz that the Overseer was suspicious of. It was her father.

There was very little she could do with this information after she found it. Liz contemplated talking to the Amata about it, but decided that it would probably just exacerbate the situation. She also pondered bringing it up to her father but just couldn't imagine it would do any good. She trusted him and knew he would never do anything to jeopardize their position in the Vault. After much consideration, she decided the best thing to do was forget that she knew anything about it. Snooping would only lead to more trouble for her dad and she didn't want that.

However, the more time went by the more apparent it was that the Overseer didn't trust her father one bit. He began to show up in the clinic, they seemed like mere casual visits but Liz knew better. This was just another way to keep eyes on her father. Also, around the same time that Liz turned nineteen, she noticed that security started to follow her. They'd show up at the diner at lunch time and if they ran into her in the halls, they would offer to walk her to her destination. Even with all these warning signs, she never once doubted her father.

That's why it came as such a shock when she was woken up late one night by a very fearful Amata.

"Wake up, right now! You've got to wake up!"

* * *

_Author's Note: Awww, bye Vault! I'm gonna miss writing these Vault chapters but the story must move on. I feel like this chapter might be a little rushed =/ but that's because I really want to get Hawke out into the Wasteland. Let me know what you guys think in a review!_

_And thank you all so much for all the positive feedback. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy to know you guys are enjoying this story. I've been having a great time writing it!_

_See y'all soon! Also, to one of my reviewers, **Jen**, who commented that she was shipping Liz and Freddie. I hope you found the Liz/Freddie fluff in this chapter to be satisfying :D_


	4. The Chase

The Lone Hawke  
The Chase

How could this possibly be happening? Yesterday, she was having lunch with Freddie Gomez and talking about how snug his new Tunnel Snakes jacket fit. They were laughing about all the stupid things that Paul had said that day, and then Liz went home to find her father changing the sheets of the clinical cots. It was a normal day. So, how was it that she was now sneaking through the halls of her Vault, suddenly a criminal?

Everything was in a total panic. There was security everywhere and an alarm was constantly beeping. The lights were out, except for the emergency red lights. Casting eerie shadows on blood coloured walls. All Liz wanted to do was curl up and cry, but she couldn't. Her mind was strangely blank as she skulked around the place she once called home. All she could think about was why her father had done this to her? To leave without a word.

Elizabeth had always counted on her father. If she needed help, if she needed comfort, if she needed advice, he was always there and now he suddenly wasn't. Her mind just couldn't think of a reason for him to disappear and leave her in this predicament. He disappeared and now she was by herself, cleaning up after his actions. The Vault had never seemed this lonely or hostile.

Just as she was turning a corner, the sounds of footsteps reached her ears and she quickly flattened herself behind a locker. They echoed off all the walls, making it impossible to pinpoint the source. Cursing to herself, she took the pistol Amata had given her and raised it up. She refused to get caught. Even if she had to shoot her way out, she would find her father. What other choice did she have?

"Hawke!" A voice cut through the thick air. With panicked hands she tightened her grip on her pistol and aimed in the general direction. Even when she began to recognize the familiar face of Butch DeLoria she did not lower her gun.

Things had been tensed with Butch for a couple years now. Ever since that kiss and the wounding words spoken afterwards, their relationship had plummeted. At first they completely ignored each other if they came into contact but after awhile the anger bubbled to the surface. Every glance ended in an argument. Every argument ended in violence. Growing up, Butch and Liz were considered rivals, but somehow they had lost that feeling of heated competition. What was left was something much more malicious.

"If you don't keep your voice down, I will shoot you." Liz growled, but it was obvious by her shaking hands that she was bluffing. Even if she had managed to find it in her to fire a shot, she'd probably miss.

"Why the hell do ya have a gun?" Butch eyed the pistol nervously but he refused to back up or show any other sign of fear. He chose to remain stubborn, as always. "Never mind, I don't care, you've gotta help me."

"Can you not see that I'm a little preoccupied?" Liz couldn't even comprehend why Butch was approaching him. Or why after everything he'd think she'd even bother listening to his request. "I'm barely keeping it together as it is."

"No! Hawke, it's my mom. She's in with the radroaches!" Butch had jumped forward, despite the gun in his face and put a hand on her small shoulder. His grip wasn't tight or painful but Liz found herself flinching from his touch. She quickly slapped him away, but he just grabbed her again. His face was forlorn. "Listen, I know we have issues but you can't leave us like this! My mom ain't done nothing to you!"

A small, desperate part of her wanted to just leave him. She did not have time to go around saving people when the entire Vault was looking for her. However, one look in the despairing, pleading eyes of Butch wiped all those thoughts from her mind. It didn't matter that Butch had been so cruel to her over the years. None of the bruises caused by his fist mattered. All that matter was that he was begging her for help. With an angry sigh she walked past him. "What kind of person do you think I am? Where is she?"

Butch didn't hesitate, he began to jog off down the hall. "She's in the apartment, quick!"

Elizabeth hurried after him. She ran on her toes, attempting to lessen the noise of her footsteps. It wasn't a far walk to the DeLoria apartment and Butch quickly ushered her inside. The only lights on in the room were from the emergency generators. It was empty, but Liz could hear the noise of a struggle coming from an adjacent room. She didn't waste any time with bursting through the door.

"Butchie! Help me!" Ellen DeLoria shouted when the pair entered the room. The woman was flailing on the ground, kicking and scratching at the group of radroaches that were encircling her. It was a terrible sight. The sound of claws on the tiles, the pained screams of Butch's mother. Liz was so horrified by what was happening that she almost forgot to react. She ran forward, aiming a shot at one roach and kicking another. They weren't difficult to kill, but they were certainly gross. With every shot that collided, a burst of green blood squirted out of the bullet hole.

Liz smashed the last radroach with her baseball bat and it died with a squeal. Panting, she reached for Ellen and pulled the woman to her uneasy feet. "Are you alright?"

Before the woman had a chance to respond, Butch rushed forward and embraced his mother. "Ma! Are you hurt?"

"A few bites, but I think some whiskey will clear that up nicely." The woman slurred and her hands reached for the nearest bottle. Even at a time like this, all Ellen could think of was alcohol. She didn't even give a thank you, but Liz didn't take it personally. Mrs. DeLoria probably didn't even realize what was going on through her shroud of booze.

Butch helped her over to a nearby chair and then looked over at Liz. "You did it. You saved her."

"Let's not make a big thing of it." Liz muttered and her mind told her to leave. That she had wasted enough time but her feet wouldn't move. Her eyes were locked on Butch's icy blue ones. Except, right now they didn't look so cold. His arm twitched, as if he was going to reach out to her but, thought better of it.

"Seriously, you're one of the good ones." Butch's voice sounded strangely gentle. It made Liz feel all kinds of weird. They had been so bitter towards each other lately and now he was staring at her with a emotion similar to affection. Despite all their bad blood, she couldn't help but feel a little sad in this moment. This was the end of their fighting and Liz felt her heart not wanting to let it go.

"Don't get all mushy on me now, Butch." Liz whispered, attempting to keep the emotion out of her voice. "I'm leaving the Vault."

"What are ya talking about?" Butch partially chuckled at her statement and she didn't blame him. It was a ridiculous thought, an impossible one.

"Dad apparently escaped. That's why everything is on lock down." Liz explained, no trace of humour on her face. She needed him to understand the situation. He had to know that this was the last time they would see each other. "I don't know why or how, but I know I can't live down here without him."

There was a prolonged silence, only broken by the muffled alarm from outside and the sound of Ellen's bottle clinking against the table. Finally, a smirk appeared on his lips. "Daddy's girl to the very end, huh?"

She somehow managed to push a laugh past her lips. "I suppose so."

Butch averted his eyes and seemed to be considering something. He seemed to have come to a conclusion as she pulled off his trademark jacket. With one last glance at the leather coat, he pushed it into her arms. "Here."

It took Liz a minute to understand what was happening but when she did she felt a rush of disbelief. The last thing she needed was this memento. A constant mute reminder of the Butch and the life she was leaving behind. "Butch, I can't take this."

"Just take the damn thing." Butch commanded her, but he quickly avoided her gaze. Liz took this as her cue to start leaving, however she gave herself a few seconds to say a silent goodbye. It felt weird to admit how much she would miss him. Finally she forced her feet to move. Just as she got to the door, he spoke again. "Just don't die, Nosebleed."

OO4.O1

Just after reaching the Atrium, Liz took a moment to catch her breathe. She had faced very little resistance. Officer Gomez had held her up for a moment, but let her go. That act reminded her about Freddie. Her heart ached at the thought of leaving without saying goodbye, but she had no choice. She had also had a close call with Officer Hannon, but he got overrun with a few radroaches, giving her time to get away. It wasn't much further to the Overseer's office, she just had to push a little more.

With deep breathes, she reloaded her pistol and took the BB Gun off her back. She pulled on Butch's jacket and couldn't help but drown in his scent. Liz was hoping that she'd be less recognizable wearing the jacket. Maybe they'd pause just long enough for Liz to get away. After slinging the BB Gun back over her shoulder, she headed off again. A pistol in one hand, a baseball bat in the other.

However, no amount of deep breathes could prepare her for what she found next.

When she entered the Admin section of the Vault she saw a terrible sight. Lying on the ground in the lab was none other than Jonas. She had seen a couple of dead bodies along her way but had not felt any need to look closely. Maybe a part of her had lied to herself and said they were sleeping but, here Jonas was, staring straight up at the ceiling. Blood seeping across the floor, away from his body. There was no pretending here.

Liz fell to the ground beside him. Her hand reached for his neck, searching for any faint sign of a pulse. Praying that there would be something there. She felt a lump form in her throat when she felt nothing. Hastily, she pulled his lab coat open, hoping to hear his heart beating through his chest. It was a long shot but, Liz was desperate. Something fell out of his breast pocket when she did so. It clacked against the floor and Liz recognized instantly what it was. A holotape.

She jammed it into her Pip-Boy hurriedly and pressed play. Her father's familiar, soothing voice filled her ears.

"I don't really know how to tell you this, honey. I hope you'll understand, but I know you might be angry. I've gone over every circumstance and I think it's best that you don't know. So many things could go wrong if you do. It's best if the Overseer can blame everything on me, and that's only possible if you remain ignorant. This is something I need to do and I know that you're strong enough to be on your own. You're an adult. Maybe someday we can see each other again, I hope we can. I don't want you to follow me, however. Life isn't perfect in the Vault but, it's much safer down there. Just knowing you're safe is what is going to keep me going."

Angry tears filled her eyes while listening to the tape. They spilled over at the last second when her father said he loved her. How could she possibly believe that after everything? A father who loves his daughter doesn't abandon her! That's just not right. She would leave this Vault and track her father down. If for no other reason than to be rebellious.

Liz stood to her full height and wiped away the hot tears rolling down her cheeks. She had to be strong or she wouldn't make it. Failure wasn't an option at this point. With one last regretful look at Jonas she continued on her way. There would be an appropriate moment to mourn for his loss, but this wasn't it. She needed to push on.

OO4.O2

Elizabeth stood in front of the control panel. It didn't look any different from any other switchboard in the Vault but it was different. Different because she knew that by simply pulling that lever she would be starting something terrible. That Vault door would open and Liz would be cast away from the only home she ever knew. The thought was petrifying. The coward in her wanted to run back the way she came and throw myself at the mercy of the Overseer. Anything would be better than facing the loneliness of what was out there.

However, she heard a moan of metal behind her. Someone was coming! Without any further hesitation, she initiated the opening sequence. A piercing alarm began to play. The sound cut into her ears like knives and watched in awe as a large machine began to move. With a screech of metal, the giant gear that was the Vault door began to spin open. After a few more moments everything came to a grinding halt. There was a long dark tunnel before her and some kind of light at the end of it.

"Oh my, god." A voice gasped. Liz turned around, her pistol at the ready but quickly lowered it. Amata stared at her with shocked eyes. Her mouth slightly agape. "You opened the door. I almost didn't think it was possible."

Liz glanced back into the abyss. "Me neither..."

"We don't have much time for goodbyes. That alarm will have alerted security." Amata reached forward and swept her up into a hug. Liz squeezed her back, maybe too tightly. It felt like the ground would crumble beneath them if they were to let go.

"Amata, come with me. You said it yourself, it's not safe in here."

"It's tempting, but my place is here." Amata gazed at her with a pitying expression as they pulled apart. It was this look that told Liz she was truly on her own. Not even her best friend was willing to step out into the unknown for her. "I'm the only person that might be able to talk sense into my father. The Vault needs me."

_So do I._ "So you're saying that I have to go out there, alone."

Amata seemed to sense the angry tone in Liz's voice and tried to comfort her. "Hawke, I know you must be scared but what other choice do you have? You're stronger than any of us! I know you can survive out here. You have to."

Another clanging noise echoed from within the Vault. Liz gave Amata a pained expression and knew their time had come to an end. She hurried down a the metal staircase, but stopped at the bottom and looked back up at Amata. "Do me a favour? Say goodbye to Freddie for me."

"Of course, but didn't you see him already?" Amata was looking nervously over her shoulder as the sound of footsteps came closer. "You're wearing his jacket."

Liz didn't feel the need to correct her. Nor did she think she had the time. "Just please tell him."

Before Amata could respond, a door behind her screeched open and several armed guards rushed in. They pushed Amata roughly out of the way in their haste to reach Liz. She was already half way down the tunnel at this point. Scrambling through the dirt, and slipping on the loose gravel. The guards had stopped at the face of the tunnel, too scared to go any further. One fired a single shot that missed easily.

A familiar grinding noise started to sound and Liz risked a glance back. What she saw was terribly disheartening. The Vault was resealing itself. She slowed to a halt to watch it shut. Her heart almost broke in two at the sight of that closed door. She could hardly believe that she standing on the wrong side. There really was no turning back now. Her entire life was back there, her friends; Amata, Freddie, her enemies; Wally, Paul, and... and Butch, whatever he was.

Liz spent a long time just breathing and staring at that concrete slab. As she took in the air she realized something weird. It tasted different. It felt thicker, smoggier... dirtier. It reminded her that she was truly outside the Vault now and she had two choices. Fall apart, just lay her in the dirt and pity herself. Or she could open that wooden door and step out into the unknown with her head high and her pistol raised. She held that gun so tightly that her knuckled turned white.

A shaky hand reached forward and pushed the door open. It was poorly constructed and felt flimsy. A light filled the tunnel that was brighter than anything she had ever imagined. She cried out and covered her eyes. She was sure to re-open them more slowly this time but it was still unbearably bright. Liz could only hope her eyes would adjust.

Still breathing in that polluted air she stepped through the threshold and got her first look of her new life and it was ugly. A blanket of brown and gray terrain stretched as far as she could see. It was so dreary and dull. She could make out wooden skeletons of houses on the horizon. And further than those houses was a great gray structure. Smoke spiraled up from the structure, indicating that there must have been life of some kind in that direction.

Liz rechecked her ammo for the tenth time and began to make her way over there. It was risky, she knew that, but she had to take the chance. She'd last a lot longer in civilization than out here in this barren nothingness. Besides, she knew she needed to be around people right now. Good or bad, anything was better than being alone. With this in mind, she quicked her pace.

The structure wasn't nearly as far as she had thought. It just turned out to be massive. It was a twisted metal shell of some sort. She walked up to the wall and tapped it with her knuckle. A hollow echo reached her ears. Her hands traced the wall as she walked along it, searching for some clue as to the purpose of this architecture.

"Welcome to Megaton." A strangely stiff voice called to her. Liz screamed and pointed her gun shakily at the source. "Please stand back when the doors open."

She let out a nervous sigh, it was just a robot. Though it was a model she had never seen before. Liz approached it cautiously. "State your directive."

"Greeter of Megaton." It responded in its mechanical voice.

Before she could ask anymore questions, a powerful whirling noise started. Liz looked around wildly for the origin but didn't have to look far. Pieces of the metal shell began to move. She raised her gun up again, searching for any hostile movement. She found none and the metal soon stopped moving, revealing a double door. Liz refused to move for a few moments longer, her gun still raised, but when nothing jumped at her she risked lowering it.

The doors opened with shrill grind that caused Liz to cringe. So much for making a quiet entrance. When she walked through she found that the shell was definitely not hollow. There was an entire settlement built out of tin and iron before her. She didn't have much time to sight see, however, as a man was approaching her. Liz raised her gun defensively.

"You best be lowering that pistol, girl." The man responded. He was much older than Liz, with dark hair and a cowboy hat perched on his head. "Ain't no one here going to cause you trouble if you don't start any."

Liz lowered it tentatively but kept her eyes glued to his hands. Prepared to react to any sudden movements. "Where am I?"

"This is Megaton and I'm its sheriff, Lucus Simms." The man answered with an equally suspicious gaze. Hearing that he was the law made her feel considerably less nervous. "What's yer name?"

Liz paused at this. In the Vault, she hated that no one would call her what she asked. It was either Hawke or Nosebleed or Pipsqueak or something equally rude. And now here she was, meeting the first new person she had ever encountered. Liz could be whatever she wanted in this new world. As scary as it was out here, this was the first perk.

She opened her mouth to gladly give her name, her real name, when she hesitated. The Tunnel Snakes jacket she was wearing suddenly felt heavier on her shoulders. Butch's face annoyingly flashed through her mind and caused her throat to burn with emotion. She felt rattled by that feeling of longing. Liz focused back on Lucus Simms. "My name is Hawke."

* * *

_Author's Note: I have a lot, a lot to say about this chapter. **Jen** made a very good point in her review about how pointless it is to have Hawke be away from Butch for such a long period. It would make me very sad to lose readers if they read this chapter and think "oh she's just following the game plot, boring". That isn't what I'm doing, because you've all played the game, you know how it goes. I'm just urging you not to give up on this story for something like that. Though certain parts of the plot will remain the same, like the fact that Hawke and Butch will be separated for a little while. The time apart is important for their relationship, I feel. It gives them both time to miss each other. They've never had that before as they've been trapped in the Vault with each other for so long. However, __I can promise you that Butch will make an appearance in the next chapter._

_I hope you guys like this chapter! I had a hard time writing it because I'm much more excited about the next one. So if you aren't fond of this chapter, I understand, it's kind boring. It's more of a transition than anything. A chapter to get to the good stuff ;) The next one is going to be an exciting one!_

_Again thank you all for the positive response! I love your reviews, they keep me motivated._

_See y'all soon!_


	5. The Crime

The Lone Hawke  
The Crime

The Capital Wasteland was a terrible place. Full of evil people and creatures only thought of in nightmares. The darkness of the people was reflected in the terrain. Everything was dirty. The people, the landscape, the settlements. It seemed like all surfaces were coated in a permanent layer of grime. Including Hawke. Even in the short amount of time she's traveled this Wasteland, she could feel the contamination seeping into her skin. Poisoning her mind and blood.

There were a lot less emotional people in the Wasteland, however. Most people didn't have time to slow down and think about how their actions were affecting others. They just acted. Survival was key and people are willing to do whatever it takes to ensure self-preservation. Maybe that was a plus side of growing up in the Vault. It gave Hawke a certain sense of humanity that most have forgotten about. It was a constant struggle to balance her basic instinct of survival and her desire to remain human.

"Here." A crumbly voice pulled Hawke out of her thoughts. The owner of the voice pushed a chipped glass of liquor towards her. She handed him a handful of dented bottlecaps in return. At this moment, she was sitting in the dark, dingy pub known as Moriarty's Saloon.

"Thanks, Gob." Hawke muttered and quickly downed the alcohol. It burned her throat and brought tears to her eyes, but she learned to ignore these affects. As long as this foul tasting beverage kept her numb she wouldn't complain. "You poured this from an unopened bottle right?"

"Yes." The Ghoul named Gob responded. They had kindled an unusual friendship over the last couple weeks. Gob was a very sweet person, and Hawke felt ashamed to say that she screamed when she first met him. Ghouls were not known for being aesthetically pleasing and she had never encountered anything like him before. She learned quickly that his decaying skin was just an ugly cover and that there was a very real heart beating underneath. "I know how paranoid you are about piss in your drinks. Though I don't really understand why."

"You can never be too careful, especially around Moriarty." Hawke answered. Her green eyes narrowed as the man she was just speaking of appeared from his store room. His aging face seemed grumpier than usual as he approached the counter. He slapped his hand down on the surface loudly and Gob flinched.

"What's all this talk about piss in my still?" Moriarty demanded, his eyes boring into Hawke's. He was obviously attempting to intimidate her as usual but, she had long since abandoned any kind of fear of this man. He was a bolstering, crude kind of man but, certainly not dangerous. At least not to her. "Is Andy Stahl still talking shit?"

"Doesn't matter what he's saying. You're just lucky that Gob's here or I'd take my business to the Brass Lantern in a heartbeat." Hawke was already struggling to keep her voice calm. She was never one to have a firm hold on her temper and men like Moriarty brought it out in her.

God raised his hands in defense. "Don't be pulling me into this, kid."

"Get over yourself, girlie. I never needed your business." Moriarty chuckled tersely at her, before leaning over the counter. "Shouldn't you be off looking for your daddy?"

His rum soaked words struck her hard. Hawke took in a shaky breathe before answering, trying to calm her anger. "You know quite well why I'm not looking for him. Are you trying to start something?"

Moriarty smirked. "Don't be like that, sweetheart. Information isn't free in this world and I gave you two methods of payment that you refused."

"Your methods are vile." Hawke spat, she dug her fingernails into her thighs. "I applaud Silver for being strong enough to get away from you. I'm not about to go and drag her back here."

"What about my other offer?" Moriarty's voice took on a slicker tone that made goosebumps break out on her arms.

"I'd rather die than touch you." Hawke's voice grew dangerously low. The very idea that she'd ever get that desperate made her stomach swirl. Moriarty was a terrible man. He knew that she needed that information and he was purposely making it impossible for her to acquire. At this rate she was never going to find her father.

"Maybe it's for the best." Moriarty shrugged and smiled at her wickedly. "When you first crawled out of that Vault you were all shiny and new. Now look at you. Just as filthy as the rest of the whores in this Wasteland."

The Irish man left soon after that insult. Hawke jumped to her feet and punched the counter as hard as she could. She had ever intention to follow Moriarty and shake the information out of him but, Gob placed a gnarled hand on her shoulder. He shook his head slowly.

"You need to stay calm, kid." Gob advised with grim eyes. "You can't keep losing your temper like this or you might get hurt."

"I could take him." Hawke growled, her eyes locked on the store room door that Moriarty disappeared behind. She sank back into her seat and leaned tipsily against her arms. Life was so much easier in the Vault. People didn't try to mess with her because they knew she'd came at them swinging. Her fingers stroked the leather of her jacket absently. Well most people didn't mess with her.

"I'm not doubting you." Gob muttered and began cleaning a few shot glasses. Though his rag was just as filthy as the glass. "Someday, though, your temper is gonna get you shot. Or worse."

"There's nothing worse than getting shot." Hawked grumbled into her arms. As long as she was breathing she would cling to this pitiful life. No matter what happened. Nothing was worse than death in her eyes.

"I'm serious, kid. Just be glad you don't got a collar around your throat."

Hawke looked up at him with curious eyes. "What do you mean?"

"I keep forgetting how utterly uninformed you are." Gob gave what Hawke assumed was a smile, but it looked more like a pained grimace to her. "Slaves wear collars. It's how their owners keep them in line. One flip of a switch and boom. Dead."

"That's horrible." Hawke gasped and one of her hands touched her neck tenderly. She couldn't believe that slaves actually existed and to hear that they were collared like animals was even more heinous. Yet another example of human cruelty.

On that note, Hawke ordered another drink. Two weeks she'd been stuck in this town and she hadn't got anything done. She mostly just spent her time in this contaminated bar. Though she had done a few favours for people. Mostly Moira and her psychotic Survival Guide. She wasn't really in the business of going out of her way and doing these kinds of tasks but, they paid well and she needed the caps. Still, she really needed to track down her father and soon. Before either of them died in this forsaken place.

"Gob, you've gotta help me. Do you know anything at all about my dad?" Hawke pleaded once again. She and Gob had this conversation before and each time he said the same thing.

"I really didn't talk to the man." He gave his default answer. There was a long silence after this where Hawke just stared into her empty glass. Gob sighed loudly as he observed her. "I was like you once, kid. Just looking for my way in the world and getting stuck in this place. So, I'll help you out. Moriarty has a terminal in the back that he keeps all his information on. If he knows anything about your dad, it'll be on there."

On hearing this news, Hawke felt such a rush of relief. A terminal she could handle, she still had those notes that Freddie had downloaded onto her Pip-Boy. Breaking into a computer was a piece of cake compared to her other options. She wanted to hug Gob but, he just looked so fragile with his flaking skin that she thought better of it. Instead she just reached out and patted his hand. He cringed at her contact but, soon relaxed and gave her another little grimaced smile.

OO5.O1

Hawke was dealing with her own struggles and had absolutely no idea of the rebellion happening in her former home. Things in the Vault quickly deteriorated after she left. At first, people rallied together to deal with the aftermath of James' and Hawke's escape. They worked together to kill the remaining radroaches and put out fires, but once that was settled the Vault dwellers quickly realized that they couldn't go back to their old lives.

The adults and certainly the Overseer wished for everything to be the way it was. For everyone to return to their daily lives and forget that James and his daughter every existed but, it just wasn't possible for the younger generation. Many of the young adults in the Vault began to whisper about following Hawke's example. Of course, the Overseer got wind of this and began restricting many rights of his people and mostly his daughter.

The Tunnel Snakes fought back against the new laws, especially that of an enforced curfew. What started as simple defiance quickly led to violence. The Overseer could see things beginning to fall apart and demanded Martial Law be put into place. This act was the last straw for the young adults. They officially became rebels of the Overseer and this forced the Vault to become divided by the opposing ideas.

"It's kind of ironic, isn't it?" Christine Kendall commented with an ugly sneer as she pushed around a few cots. "I mean, it's that stupid doctor's fault that this is all happening and yet we decide to use the Clinic as headquarters..."

"We're here out of necessity." Amata responded from her place by Paul Hannon. He was laying on one of the cots and was obviously in a lot of pain. He was writhing quietly as Amata dabbed his forehead with a cold cloth. His Tunnel Snake jacket was thrown on the ground nearby, forgotten in their haste to get his fever down.

"How's he doing?" Susie Mack asked nervously from her post by the door. Amata glanced over at her gravely, refusing to say out loud that the radroach bites weren't healing. Or that his fever was getting worse and worse. Without actual medical attention, Paul didn't stand a chance.

Butch and Freddie suddenly appeared in the doorway. Both looked rather irritated as they marched into the Clinic. The Vault's robot, Andy, was floating in behind them. Amata had sent Freddie on a mission to reprogram Andy and bring him to Clinic as the new Vault Physician. She sent Butch to escort him as a precaution. The security guards have been pretty non-violent as of late but, she didn't expect them to stay like that.

Amata ushered Freddie and Andy over. "How'd it go?"

"Good, good." Freddie answered breathlessly. He gave Andy a little pat with his hand. "He already had the knowledge in there, just had to bring it out."

"Hello, miss! Please explain to me the conditions of your aliment!" Andy's cheerful voice rang throughout the Clinic but, Amata ignored him.

"No problems?"

"Well... We had a bit of a thing with Allen Mack, but Butch took care of him really easy." Freddie's voice sounded excited as he relived the moment. "He even managed to get Mack's pistol from him."

"He what?" Amata repeated with a mix of anger and surprise. She turned her auburn eyes away from Freddie and focused on the Serpent King. He was indeed holding the aforementioned pistol in his hands and seemed to be checking if it was in working order. "Butch! You took Officer Mack's gun?"

"What's your problem?" Butch raised his eyebrows at the rage in her voice. He thought she'd be happy. They had a little more reassurance with this pistol. There was no way that security would come in here to arrest them now. They'd never risk one of their own getting shot. Not after they'd already lost so many.

"This could be seen as an act of aggression! Do you not realize how delicate our position here is?" Amata had crossed the clinic to get in his face. She was so tired of being the leader to this band of idiots. Butch never thought things through.

"Oh, shut up. Do I look like I care?" Butch spat at her and crossed his arms over his chest. Arguing with her just wasn't worth it. "Ya don't get it, Amata. Ya keep tryin' to play politics and hope your dad will just see reason. Ain't gonna happen! We need to force our way outta here."

Amata bit her tongue to stop herself from speaking. She turned away from him and made her way back to the cot that Paul occupied. She placed a hand on his unusually warm forehead with a frown. "Look. This isn't the time to talk about this. We have other matters to deal with."

"He doesn't look any better." Butch commented as he appeared by Amata's side. He looked down at his best friend with hopeless eyes. The Tunnel Snakes were suppose to be together always, but now look at them. Wally had sided with his father, ditched his jacket for a security uniform and hadn't spoken to Butch or Paul since. Paul was barely holding on, the radiation from his bites were poisoning him. Butch and Freddie were soon to be the only Tunnel Snakes left.

"That's because he isn't." Amata said in gentle tones. "He refuses to take any of our reserve Rad-Aways. Says we might need them when we leave here."

"This is so irritating. If they'd just send us some more medicine from storage." Freddie slammed his fist against a nearby medical tray. It shook violently from the impact. He just didn't understand why Paul was being so stubborn.

"Fuck that." Butch brushed Freddie's statement off. He broke eye contact with the others, and fixated on Paul's face. "The problem is our doctor left us and the only other person with medical training ran off after him."

"It wasn't Hawke's fault. She had to leave." Amata immediately jumped to her defense. After all, she didn't want to leave but, Amata convinced her. If it was Hawke's choice, she would have stayed in the Vault. Stayed in her home.

"That's bullshit! Well, good riddance! To the both of them!" Butch's anger, which always seemed to be close to the surface these days, burned bright. He turned on his heel and stomped to the other end of the clinic, pausing only to pick Paul's discarded Tunnel Snake jacket and place it on a nearby chair.

"Butch!" Freddie called after him with exasperation. He made to go over to him but, Amata put a hand on his arm.

"Leave him." Amata said with a little shake of her head. She glanced over at him with slightly concerned eyes. "He's just upset about Paul and I think he misses Hawke more than he wants to admit."

Freddie scoffed. "Butch hates her. He always has."

Amata wasn't so sure. She leaned in to whisper in Freddie's ear. "Haven't you noticed that he hasn't called her by her name once since she left?"

"Well, that... that doesn't prove anything." Though Freddie looked a bit disheartened by that suggestion. "I think he's just being a dick."

"Maybe so." Amata glanced back at Butch who was facing away from her. She could clearly see the 101 stitched into the back of his jumpsuit. That never used to be possible because he never went anywhere without putting on his Tunnel Snake jacket. Nobody else really seemed to notice that his leather jacket was missing. She wondered if they'd be more interested if they knew it was currently being worn by Hawke out in that great, big world.

OO5.O2

Moriarty's computer was much more difficult to hack than the ones in the Vault. She assumed it must have been because this terminal had been upgraded in some way, where as the Vault's computers were running on pre-war programs. Eventually she managed to track his previous key inputs and found his password to be 'lotsacaps'. She rolled her eyes at the ridiculous passcode before typing it in.

There was a lot of bullshit information on the terminal. Mostly just gossip about the villagers of Megaton. She clicked through them all, just skimming their entries. Finally she found the entry she was looking for. It stated quite specifically that her father did not stay long, he was there long enough to talk to Moriarty and then leave in the direction of a place called Galaxy News Radio. It was located in the ruins of D.C. This information made Hawke all kinds of nervous, as she had heard D.C. was a place she wanted to avoid.

"Oh, I see how you want to play." A familiar Irish accent spoke out just as Hawke was getting ready to turn off the computer. It frightened her so much that she fell out of the chair she was seated it. Moriarty stood five feet away, his arms crossed tightly over his chest. He kicked the store room door shut and the sound made Hawke's heart drown in fear. "Breaking into my fucking terminal? You'll pay for that one."

Hawke quickly scrambled to her feet. Her blood was pounding so fast that it made her nauseated. She mentally cursed herself for getting trapped in this situation, her eyes scanned the area and her mind began to analyze any escape routes. "Back off, Moriarty. I got the information I need and I'm leaving."

"You think so? You think you can just play me for a fool and skip town? Think again, girlie." Moriarty's voice was far more dangerous than she had ever heard. The tones vibrated in the air like explosives. Hawke's eyes flickered to the door to her left, if she could just make it there before Moriarty pounced. However, the Irish man seemed to notice her plan as he proceeded forward, quickly closing the gap between them.

His sudden advances made Hawke act instinctively. Her hands found her pistol faster than Moriarty could have predicted. She held it firmly and aimed right in between his eyes. When she spoke, she forced as much authority into her voice as possible. "I said back off."

"Kitty's got claws?" Moriarty paused at the sight of her gun. He didn't seem very scared, more annoyed than anything. As if it was an insult to have a gun pulled on him. He didn't even raise his hands to show he meant no harm, instead he kept them close to his body. His eyes staring deeply into Hawke's, the violent rage evident there was terrifying. "Let's see if you know how to use them!"

The man leapt forward and managed to wrap his hands around one of Hawke's arms. The strength in his grasp was rather surprising, but she knew how to handle this. Trying to subdue her by holding her arms was a classic Butch DeLoria move. Hawke kicked out her foot and collided with his knee. Moriarty groaned and stumbled from the pain, but he managed to stay on his feet. He threw out a punch that Hawke was not expecting. It hit her ribs and she doubled over in the surprise and the intense pain. In her vulnerable position, he made a grab for her gun.

Hawke reacted just a fraction quicker than him. She pulled the gun out of his reach and managed to pull the trigger. Twice. The shots exploded out of the barrel and made contact with Moriarty. The sound of the bullets hitting him was sickening. Blood streamed out of his wounds and he fell over almost at once. The breathe caught in her throat at this sight.

"Oh, my god..." Hawke managed to gasp. Before she could even really process that she had just killed a man, she heard the telltale sounds of running footsteps. Without a second glance she threw herself out the door. Her feet sort of took care of the rest. She ran as fast as she could manage, but it didn't really seem like anyone was chasing her. Even so, she did not slow down.

Eventually she was well outside the borders of Megaton. Exhaustion clutched at her lungs and she fell forward into the dirt. She let her body sprawl onto the ground as she inhaled deeply. Her body allowed her a few moments of peace as she recovered, but soon her mind caught up with her. She gripped at her hair painfully and throat ached with the urge to scream. She had just murdered someone. Murderer. Moriarty was an asshole and an opportunist, but still. A man was dead because of her hands.

Hawke looked down at the pistol that had done the job and to her horror saw blood splattered on the steel. In her panic she went to wipe it off with her palm. Now it was on her. Staining against her pale skin. Hawke threw the pistol from her vicinity. A powerful wave of nausea hit her, she turned over and hurled.

* * *

_Author's Note: Alright, so maybe I lied about this being an exciting chapter :P I scraped my original idea and decided to wait until a bit later. So instead we see Hawke's first murder. I think this is an important chapter. It shows that even with all the shit being thrown at her that she's still holding on to her humanity. Also gave a little sneak peak into life in the Vault. Things don't look so good for Butch. I think he's feeling pretty damn alone. It was also fun to write a little bit about Hawke and Gob. I love my Ghouls. They're so cute!_

_There's gonna be a bit of a time skip in the next chapter and I'll be introducing a new character ;) So look forward to that! Butch will be returning quite soon, as well. So, stay tuned!_

_Big thanks to one of my reviewers, **Tom-Ato13**, for all of his feedback. He wrote a very good review and gave me some reassurance that I'm glad for. Keep up with the reviews guys, you know I love 'em!_

_See y'all soon!_


	6. The City

The Lone Hawke  
The City

The Ruins of D.C. were somehow even more terrifying than the Wastes. Hawke had hoped that the presence of buildings and lack of open space would make her feel more secure. Instead of feeling less vulnerable, however, she merely felt more trapped. The skeletons of what once were office buildings did nothing to soothe her fears. All she could do was imagine what kind of beasts could be lurking in their hollow frames. All those busted windows felt like millions of eyes, just watching her creep through wreckage.

Her only other option of wandering through D.C. was the transit system. There were miles and miles of subway tunnels beneath her feet that were mostly intact. They acted as direct routes to anywhere in the city. Hawke just couldn't seem to bring herself to travel through them. Not only were they dark and full of monstrous ghouls, and not the nice, civil ones she was accustomed to, but the transit tunnels also reminded her terribly of her Vault. If the Vault were full of bleeding, decaying mounds of flesh that wanted to taste human blood badly.

So, she was left to travel topside. Her main fear of D.C. were the Super Mutants. A race of giant, deformed, green monsters. Hawke didn't know much about them besides the fact that they almost killed her a few days before hand. If the Brotherhood of Steel hadn't shown up when they did, Hawke had no doubt she'd be dead. With all this fear swirling around, to say she was a little jumpy was an understatement.

"Oy! Hey, you!" When this voice called out to her, Hawke's finger immediately seized over the trigger of her gun. She whipped around and placed the figure into her cross hairs. It was just a man, he had his hands raised slightly in the air at the sight of her gun. He gave a tentative smile but, Hawke didn't even consider relaxing her aim. "Woah, now. Easy does it."

"What do you want?" Hawke's voice was laced with deep hostility and mistrust. This man had no clue just how close he was to being shot. He just stared at her with an almost dazed smile, his brown eyes locked onto Hawke's.

"Nothing bad! I'm was just gonna warn you about going that way." He pointed harmlessly in the direction that Hawke had been headed. She didn't glance back in case he tried something when her head was turned.

Instead she just demanded; "What's that way?"

"Super Mutants." His voice sounded grave. "A whole camp of them."

The mere thought made Hawke's mouth dry. Her mind flashed to the memory of those beings in the sickly green wrappers they call skin. Their garbled voices as they shouted ill-formed threats. The smell of rotting meat. She was much more willing to take her chances with this man then risk continuing onward.

"So, I'll just go this way." Hawke responded, flicking her gun slightly to gesture behind the man, where a small alley was. It seemed very devoid of debris, easily navigated.

Just as Hawke began to slowly make her way around the man, he spluttered, "W-wait! Where are you headed?"

"None of your business, really." Hawke answered easily with a raised eyebrow. It had been awhile since anyone attempted small talk with her. Too bad she had no intention of contributing to the conversation.

"I've lived in the city for ages, I might know a shortcut or three." The man tried again, with his big dorky smile.

"No." Hawke replied with a stern tone. "I think I can handle it."

As Hawke took another step down the alley, the man shuffled forward and stretched out a hand. Her gun was raised in a heartbeat and she narrowed her eyes dangerously. When she spoke, she mustered as much animosity as she could.

"Stay where you are. Do not approach me, do not follow me. I will fuck you up." A silence followed her proclamation. The man's smile faded and his brow furrowed pensively. She waited for a response but nothing came. It seemed as if he was giving her silent permission to move on. Without another word she intended to turn on her heel and run down this alley but, she heard a terrifying sound.

Heavy footsteps echoed down the entire alley. Hawke's fear was not mirrored on the man's face, but he had suddenly grown intense. Their eyes moved together to see a shadow emerging on the wall beside them. Something was coming, and quickly. For a moment, it's like the pair inhabited the same body, their movements were in rhythm as they dropped down onto their knee and steadied their firearms. Both weapons were pointed directly at the entry way of the alley. The shadow became darker and their breathe slowed.

After what seemed like an eternity, a grotesque figured emerged. It lumbered forward, its nose raised in the air like a mangy dog looking for scraps. It's disgusting mucus skin shone with sweat in the setting sun. It was a Super Mutant, and Hawke couldn't be more terrified. It hadn't seen them yet, but it was obvious by his snarl that it knew they were there. Luckily, all he held in his hands was a broken plank. With the Super Mutant's strength, it could easily cave in her skull. However, it was still better than a gun. A plank, she could avoid.

The tension was too much. Before Hawke could think, she felt her fingers flinch and squeeze the trigger. A deafening shot rang out and her bullet collided with the monster's shoulder. It stumbled back ever so slightly from the force of impact. It didn't appear to really faze him, all it did was alert the mutant of their presence. He turned his grimaced face and let out a loud battle cry. Hawke raised her gun to take another shot, but the man beside her beat her to it. He took a shot that hit him straight in the head. The Super Mutant kept running for a few strides before toppling over dead.

The man looked over at Hawke with critical eyes. "Those were a lot of threatening words for someone with no aim."

Hawke felt her face flush with shame. "I didn't mean to fire."

"That's even more concerning." He commented while examining the mutant's corpse. He felt his shirt pockets, looking for loot. When he found none he straightened back up and glanced back at Hawke, who had yet to move from her crouched position. "Are you okay?"

"Fine." Hawke responded in a monotone. She refused to meet his eye and instead focused on the fallen enemy. It had landed in such a way that Hawke could clearly make out the gunshot wound inflicted by the man. It was a good shot. An amazing one, clean through the brain and into the crumbling building behind him. She swallowed her pride in order to ask. "Where'd you learn to shoot like that?"

The man hesitated before smiling coyly at her. "Anyone who's seen the bad side of the Wastes and lives to talk about it, can shoot like that."

He propped himself down beside her and holstered his weapon. With a cautious hand he tugged the collar of jumpsuit.

"You're from that Vault on lockdown." He concluded from the yellow numbers written there. Hawke didn't even bother flinching away, she knew now if he planned to kill her, he'd have done it. "You can't have been out long, you still look so... lost."

"It's been a month. I think. Maybe longer." Hawke responded before she could really think about the consequences of her statement. It left her vulnerable to admit that she was still so naive and unsure of this world.

"My name is Mason."

She didn't want to reciprocate his introduction, but her lips moved on their own and formed the words, "I'm Hawke."

With a spring in his movements, Mason jumped to his feet and offered Hawke a hand up. She didn't accept it, but rose to her feet nonetheless. Her rudeness didn't seem to bother this man, instead he raised a questioning eyebrow. "So, Hawke, wanna learn how to shoot?"

OO6.O1

Mason Bray was a man of many attributes. He really did know his way around the city. The way he navigated the ruins with no pauses was evidence of this. His feet just knew where to step and what turns to make. He had no fear. As they traveled, he didn't even bother to draw his weapon even though he repeatedly told Hawke to keep her gun out. That's how confident he was in his own skills. It must have been nice, Hawke noted as they began their descent into a transit tunnel, to feel invincible the way he did. The talent she was most interested in however, was Mason's ability to shoot the way he could. Watching him kill that Super Mutant made her feel all kinds of jealousy.

"I really hate subway tunnels." Hawke muttered as Mason shut the chain link gate behind them. Ahead of them was a dripping, dark tunnel of uncertainty. She couldn't see anything behind the veil of shadow and that realization made her feel trapped.

"It's fine." Mason responded with an easy smile. "I've been down here lots. It's completely caved in a few miles down so no one uses it to travel. Meaning there shouldn't be any raiders."

"If it's blocked, why are you taking me down here?" Hawke's voice raised a few octave's as her suspicion spiked.

"Relax. Damn, you don't trust easy, do you?" His voice was a mix of exasperation and curiosity. "I told you that I wanted to give you shooting lessons, didn't I? This tunnel only has ghouls in it. It'll be quick target practice for you."

Mason took a few steps forward but, Hawke didn't move to follow him. Her suspicion and fear cloaked her words as she pointed out, "This is obviously a stupid idea. You expect me to put myself in danger like this? It's too reckless."

"You gotta be reckless. Or else this city is gonna tear you apart." Mason responded in light tones as if he was pressuring her into something more trivial, like smoking or cutting class. Hawke didn't know what to think or how to respond. Her body was rejecting the idea of traveling into the unknown like this, but her mind yearned for more experience. She needed to learn how this life worked and the only way to do that is to move forward.

Walking down the tunnel into the gloom was not pleasant. Before she knew it, the pair of them were completely engulfed in darkness. Losing her sense of sight like this was too much to bear in her fear riddled state, her hands quickly fumbled on her Pip-Boy searching for her flashlight. Mason placed his hand on her's, causing her to jump. He placed a finger on his lips before whispering, "Don't turn on the light."

"Why the hell not?" Hawke murmured harshly. "I can't stand not seeing two feet in front of me."

"You wanna alert every creature that were in here?"

"Because us bickering isn't already drawing them in?" Her voice raised ever so slightly from the stress of her predicament. Stuck in the dark with rotting corpses, circling them.

"Your eyes will adjust in a little while." Mason returned, "If you're that scared, you can hold my hand."

"You can go straight to hell." Hawke snapped before they continued along in silence. For a few minutes there was no sound besides their echoed footsteps and their quiet breathing. Until, finally their was a faint shuffling ahead of them. Instantly, Hawke crouched down. Her eyes scanned the area for some sign of movement.

Mason leaned down next to her and whispered gently in her ear. "Take out your weapon and aim. Do you see him?"

Hawke continued to sift through the rubble until she finally noticed a figure barely visible, twenty feet away from their position. Even though she was expecting it, the sight of this creature still gave her quite a shock. It's decaying, rotting corpse made an eerie silhouette. They left her with a feeling that could only be described as disturbed.

"I see it." She breathed, trying not to draw it's attention too soon. It was difficult to maneuver herself so that no debris stood between her and her shot. Eventually she found a sweet spot and raised the barrel of the gun level with the ghoul. It remained where it stood, aimlessly shuffling it's feet against a few rocks. Every once and awhile it's whole body would shudder as if existing in itself was painful.

"Take the shot. I'll watch your technique." Mason sounded so professional, perhaps he had taught this before.

The whole situation was stressful. Being trapped in the dark with only one exit. Staring at a decrepit monster that was easily capable of murder. And to top it all off, this stranger was watching and judging her every move. With a calming breathe, she attempted to push all the external distractions away and focus on her kill. She pulled the trigger and the silence cracked apart. However, the ghoul didn't fall down or even flinch. The shot didn't hit it's mark.

"Well there's no point whispering anymore, you missed him!" Mason's voice didn't sound concerned, merely excited but, Hawke could feel her heart constricting. The ghoul seemed a little stunned but soon recovered with a hellish squeal. Mason placed a hand on her shoulder. "Focus, Hawke, you're missing because you're not bracing yourself. You move your arm with the recoil!"

She found it very difficult to concentrate when a mutated skeleton was hurtling towards her but, she didn't really have a choice. Once again, she raised her gun and fired. And once again, her bullet ricocheted into the wall just above the ghoul. It was dangerously close to them by now, she could easily smell its putrid skin. In her fear, she stumbled backwards right into Mason's chest. There was a gunshot, and Hawke glanced up at to see Mason firing his pistol.

It was another perfect shot. He looked down at Hawke with an almost cocky smile. "As much as I love playing the hero, I know you can do better than that."

"Are you making fun of me?" Hawke asked incredulously. The comment seemed so out of place. There had almost been clawed to death and he was teasing her? It was absurd, but at the same time, it almost triggered a memory from her past. It wasn't the time to be feeling nostalgic, but somehow she felt the tiniest tug of happiness.

Another demented cry echoed towards them from deeper in the tunnel. Hawke raised her gun with a little more confidence this time. She spoke in determined tones, "I'll show you, smart ass."

They ended up slaying a lot of ghouls. Mason just stood back and let her get in as much practice as she needed. He only took a shot when it looked like she was being overwhelmed. It was morbid to be using living creatures as targets and Hawke knew it, but it just didn't feel like that. They were like the walking dead. If she were to look back on this moment, she'd probably feel ashamed that when she managed to finally land a headshot, she laughed.

Actually laughed.

"You're smiling!" Mason exclaimed from his place beside her. He didn't seem to find anything wrong with their actions. Instead, he seemed genuinely pleased to see Hawke succeeding.

"Yah, yah I am." Hawke let herself relish in the feeling for a moment. Despite the dark means that brought about her accomplish, she felt proud. She also realized with a jolt, that the tunnel no longer seemed scary. Somehow, during everything, she forgot to be afraid.

OO6.O2

After their target practice, they spent a little time hidden in a crumbling corner store to rest. They found a few Nuka-Cola's in a smashed refrigeration unit and opened a can of Pork n' Beans from Hawke's food rations. It tasted as awful as it sounded but, she learned long ago to not bother thinking about flavour. Everything was old, radiated, and dirty.

Besides the lack of palatable food, it was a nice moment. Until, Mason broke the silence by saying, "I want to go to Rivet City with you."

"Do you know the way to Rivet City?" Hawke questioned after he expressed his desire to accompany her.

"Of course." Mason responded while shoveling in his portion of food. "It's like the safest place in DC. Everyone's been there and most people never leave."

It sounded like an oasis in this desert. She couldn't help but, pray her father was there, not only so that her search would end but, also so that his safety was ensured. Rivet City was definitely the right direction, however, bringing Mason along wasn't exactly part of the plan.

"I don't want you to come with me." Hawke stated bluntly. The look on Mason's face was almost comical, he had stopped eating with his fork midway to his mouth and his expression was a mix of surprise and insult.

"Seriously? Why not?" Mason asked with an incredulous tone. "I thought we were getting along pretty well!"

"What exactly gave you that idea? We've only spent two hours together, how can you tell if we're getting on or not?" Hawke's voice was almost a monotone at this point. As much as she appreciated Mason's instruction back in the transit tunnel, she just couldn't imagine traveling with him or anyone really. It was difficult enough trying to protect yourself, there was no way she could waste energy caring about a companion.

"Do I really have to sell myself to convince you?" Mason let out a chuckle. It was a pleasant sound, so genuine. He looked at her warmly. "Alright, princess. You know that I'm a good shot, I can keep you safe."

"Too bad that you taught me to shoot, huh?" Hawke smirked at him with a raised eyebrow, challenging him. He gave her a scathing look that almost made her laugh, she covered her mouth to hide her grin. "I'm sorry, continue."

"I know this city like the back of my hand." Mason raised his hand for good measure. "It's safer to travel in numbers. Lone raiders won't bother groups. Besides it's depressing to be on your own."

It was amusing that he was trying so hard. "What's your angle? Why do you want to escort me so badly?"

"Honestly?" He glanced away, his expression wasn't one of sadness, but perhaps longing. "I suppose, you came along at the perfect time. I didn't really have a point to living anymore."

"Are you expecting me to give you a reason? 'Cause I hate to break it to you, but I barely have one myself." If Hawke wasn't on a mission to find her father, it would almost be easier to just end things. The gun on her hip became more and more tempting every day but she knew she couldn't be that weak. Survive until she couldn't survive anymore.

Mason laughed ever so slightly. "Calling you a reason to live is a little dramatic. I guess I'd describe it as a distraction."

"A distraction?"

"You're giving me something to do. Maybe I can forget how meaningless it all is for a little while longer."

Hawke pondered his words for a moment. She watched as he took a sip of his Nuka-Cola, his mind was obviously somewhere else. There weren't many positives for bringing him along besides his knowledge of the land. However, her heart ached to trust this man. It had been so long since she had put faith in anybody. It might be a mistake, but he said she needed to be a bit more reckless and maybe he was right. Maybe she had to live more like him. No fear.

Her hand stretched out across the table. He gave a quick nonplussed look before shaking it with vigor. "Alright, Mason. You're practically a map and that's pretty fucking useful to me."

"Girls shouldn't use such harsh words." Mason chastised lightly with a smirk. She sent him a glare as she swept the bottle caps into her palm before tucking them into her pocket. He got to his feet and followed her lead to the door. "What's with that silly jacket anyway? Aren't you warm?"

"You're already making me regret this."

* * *

_Author's Note: Woah. What is this? Is this an update? An honest to goodness update? I think it is. I'd apologize to you all for the lack of progress on this story but, I'm sure I've probably lost all my old readers :[_

_To all my new readers, however, welcome! I hope you've been enjoying this story so far and look forward for me to come! _

_Let me know what you think of this chapter in a review. It's been awhile since I've written anything so I feel a bit rusty. I hope it doesn't come across too choppy or too rushed..._


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